Mike Nelson, who was appointed in March to replace now-State Legislator Strom Peterson on the Edmonds City Council, officially announced Monday he is running to retain his seat.
“I am running for office because I want to help improve the quality of life of our wonderful city,” Nelson said in a statement, noting that his campaign will focus on three areas: a strong economy, a healthy environment and a safe community.
“My wife and I moved to Edmonds because it is the perfect community to raise our two boys with its safe neighborhoods, clean parks, stellar schools, the best police and fire services, and thriving business districts,” said the 40-year-old Nelson, a Westgate resident who serves as Executive Director of Service Employees International Union, Washington State Council.
A native of Northern California, Nelson graduated from Gonzaga University Law School, and spent two and a half years as a deputy sheriff in Marin County, Calif.
Noting that the majority of Edmonds residents who work, commute to jobs elsewhere, Nelson said that he will “focus on bringing more local professional jobs into Edmonds for those of us in the workforce who already live here. This will improve our quality of life by reducing traffic on our streets, increase shopping and spending in our local businesses, and in turn provide our city with needed revenue to help pay for the basic services we all use.”
Nelson also said he is committed to more affordable housing, noting that Edmonds’ higher home prices and rents compared to other Snohomish County cities means that “the majority of Edmonds workers simply cannot afford to live here.
“The new zoning on Highway 99 is one example of how we can provide incentives for more affordable housing,” he said. “Whether it is a recent college graduate struggling for a permanent job, a young couple saving up for their first home, or a single adult looking to retire, all should have a place in our city.”
Nelson, who served as a member of the City’s Planning Board and co-chair of the Mayor’s Climate Protection Committee prior to his appointment, said he is committed to using the city’s resources more efficiently. “That is why I have been collaborating with the Climate Protection Committee, ciity staff and fellow councilmembers to work toward a goal of reducing our city’s waste to zero,” he said.
Citing his experience as a former deputy sheriff, Nelson said it’s key “to find more resources to support our police and fire services.
“For example, our police department is the smallest of any comparably sized city in the Puget Sound area,” he said. “We need to work on bringing back our school resource officers and a crime prevention officer to work with our neighborhoods and businesses to deter crime as well as provide a more targeted approach to reduce crime.”
Nelson can be reached at mike@votenelson.org. His website is votenelson.org
https://www.heraldnet.com/article/20150511/OPINION03/150519941/New-councilman-should-recuse-himself-
I recused myself when this first came before Council and will continue to on these matters.
Dear My Edmonds News readers,
I just took the opportunity to read the article cited by the first commentator, Mr. Cliff Ruthrauff.
I clicked on the link which took me to a “Guest Commentary” published in the Everett Herald. The piece was written by a Policy Analyst who serves as a Policy Analyst for the Freedom Foundation, a conservative and anti-union organization.
Anyone wishing to learn more about the aforementioned organization may click on the following link: https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Evergreen_Freedom_Foundation
I intend to cast my ballot for Mike Nelson as he is a highly qualified candidate. Please join me in voting for Mike Nelson.
Sincerely,
Barbara Tipton
What does the executive director services Union do? Does he still work there? Does the union he works for have anything to do with Edmonds? If it does it would be a conflict of interest. If he quit the union then that would be different. I too am suspect of someone getting paid by a union and entering into any negotiations that would seem bias.
Thanks for the link Barb. The Evergreen Freedom Foundation is one of those ironically named organizations like the Washington Forest Protection Association (pro-logging lobbyists) or Greenland or “Smartphone.”
They were founded to limit Americans’ rights to free speech and assembly and get their funding from the notorious Koch Brothers: https://www.thestand.org/2014/06/mccabes-freedom-foundation-plans-legal-assault-on-labor/
Looks like they’ve already got some of their members commenting here.
Mr. Nelson is a highly qualified candidate and I am also bothered by the potential conflict of interest. This should be a slam dunk but it’s not yet.
If he continues to recuse himself from City Council involvement or oversight of union negotiations, as he stated that he has and will continue to do so (see above), it should not be a problem at all.
And without a Code of Ethics or Ethics board, should he be elected it will be up to him to determine his “conflicts”. That is a difficult thing to do and an unfortunate position for Mr. Nelson to be in. He may well know when to recuse himself: he certainly has the background and experience to make those decisions. It just is difficult for citizens to be able to make that determination. And if he recuses himself from contract negotiations with the City’s unions, then there will only be 6 Council members making those decisions. His representation of of us will be limited before it begins. He also appears to have outstanding and stellar qualifications. Hmmmm. It is a puzzlement.
Right. Then I guess Edmonds City Council shouldn’t have any person involved in business in any way because they’d have to recuse themselves from voting on any issues related to business or development or zoning changes related to business because that would be a “conflict.”
Not at all. And a Code of ethics would clearly define the issue of what is and isn’t a conflict giving direction to both the Council folks and the citizenry. Shopping at a market doesn’t disqualify anyone from voting on the zoning for that market. Having a monetary benefit from the outcome of such a vote should. Mr Nelson states, to his credit, he already understands that and has recused himself.
The union labor force in Edmonds isn’t the usual one off things that the Council bumps into occasionally ( and recuses themselves from). It is an ongoing part of the budget. All I was saying that there will,should Mr Nelson be elected, be only six votes on that.
I am not sure what I think of that.